Difficult Decisions
by ghostsil
Summary: Akihiko loves Misaki. Akihiko has always loved Misaki. However, what will happen after he meets the charming Nowaki? ;D
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Nowaki left the hospital with his eyes downcast. His chest still ached, although it had already been three months since Hiro left him. He sighed and tugged at the fabric of his long sleeved shirt. He just recently became a licensed pediatrician, and for a moment he thought his life was finally falling into place. He kept his florist title during the day, and would work the night shift at the hospital. But then, Hiro, the one he loved, left him without a warning. Thinking about him hurt, but everything he saw, everything he heard, everything he felt, reminded him of Hiro anyway.

He made his way to his new apartment, and sighed again as he opened the door. Throwing his bag on the couch and plopping down beside it, he turned on the TV. The energetic voice of the news anchor filled the dead room. Nowaki couldn't handle any more pretending for the day. He got up without bothering to turn the TV off, and by the time he reached the shower, half of his clothes were already absent from his body.

He let the hot water run over him as he cried. How could Hiro leave him? What had he done wrong?

"I miss you...", he whispered, and as he said it his heart twisted in his chest, and the sadness was too much to bear.

He held his head as he broke into sobs, the hot steam surrounding him in comfort. "Hiro-San...Hiro-San.."

* * *

Akihiko couldn't have been more bored. He lounged casually on his overly expensive sofa and tapped his pen against his lips, reading the newest edition of his adult novel series. He looked up and admired the spacious room around him, with natural light spilling in from the unveiled windows. Something was missing.

"Misaki.." He said under his breath. Misaki had gone to visit his older brother for a while who just recently had a son. He had been gone for two weeks and five days exactly. God he missed him.

He looked over at Suzuki-San and patted the bear's head. After Misaki left, Akihiko took Suzuki everywhere for company, to help take his mind off of Misaki. He looked out of the window to his left, seeing the vibrant blue skies. Tossing the book on the coffee table, he got up and grabbed Suzuki. "How about we get you a new friend, hm?"

They walked through town, and Akihiko ignored the judgmental looks from others as he strolled the streets with Suzuki under his arm. He never really cared about what people thought of him, and he missed Misaki, so he cared even less. He spotted a small flower shop and the fluffy white teddy bear in the window.

"There she is, Suzuki." He smiled and stepped into the store, admiring the fragrance that welcomed him.

He wasted no time and grabbed the bear, putting it under his other arm. He took long strides to the cash register, taking a moment to look around while he waited for a worker to show up.

"I'll be right with you!" A masculine but gentle voice called from his right.

He waited patiently and noted that they had an entire array of teddy bears throughout the store. He looked at Suzuki and winked.

A man stepped out into Akihiko's view, grasping his attention. He was tall, with raven black hair and eyes like the depths of the ocean. He was thin but toned, and Akihiko could see the faint lines of muscles through his long sleeved shirt. Perfect.

"Hi, sorry for the wait. That's an adorable bear, any flowers to go with it?" The perfect man said.

Akihiko, suddenly brought back to reality, stuttered, "U-uh, no thanks. Just this is fine."

The man nodded and punched some buttons into the cash register. Akihiko glanced at the man's name tag. Nowaki..

"That'll be seventeen dollars, please."

Akihiko fished the money out of his pocket and handed it to him. Their hands touched for a split second and Akihiko felt the charge of warmth through his entire body. Nowaki gave the man his change and thanked him.

Akihiko smiled as he walked out of the store.

"Have a nice day! Come again!" Nowaki called as Akihiko left.

Akihiko sensed the underlying layer of sorrow in his voice, and wondered why Nowaki was sad as he walked home.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Good morning, Akari." Nowaki said with a genuine smile as he rested his hand on the shoulder of the young girl. "You're as radiant as ever."

The girl turned her head to him, revealing large innocent eyes. They were brown, but when the light hit them, they burned into a fiery orange. She was ten years old, but she did not look it. The leukemia took its toll on her frail frame. She was sickly thin, horribly weak, and had circles under her eyes so dark that they resembled bruises. She was barely here, but those eyes, they were very much alive. It's as if the life in her ran from the cancer to the only safe haven, untouched by illness.

"Morning, Doc. I was looking at the trees outside. It's going to snow soon, isn't it?" She turned back to the window, and Nowaki caught a glimpse of her smile as she appreciated what she could not touch, what she could not get up to go see.

He patted her shoulder as gently as he could before returning his hand to his side. "Hm, I'm not sure. It has been getting a little colder lately. Why do you think that?" He said curiously.

"I watch the trees everyday, Doc. I can tell when they shiver for the cold in the winter, when they thirst for water in the summer, I know how they feel. We have a lot in common, you know." She said calmly, her eyes refusing to look at him.

He knelt down next to her bed, seeing her hands grip the delicate fabric of her hospital gown.

"They cannot move, like me. They just sit there and look back at me, as I look at them. We are each other's only friends. I will miss them dearly when I die."

Nowaki's heart churned in his chest, sending a deep ache throughout his torso. He placed both of his hands on hers. The tension left her when she felt his touch. She looked at him, her eyes full of worry for her friends.

He could not bring himself to lie to this poor girl. He knew that bad things happened to good people, but at that moment, he knew that terrible things happened to the purest people. This cancer was unbeatable. It was the most malicious evil he had dealt with so far. It was so eager to suck the life from this beautifully innocent child. He was supposed to be the hero to save her from the villain. Why was there nothing that he could do? They told him in medical school that he couldn't kick himself for every lost cause, for every sad story, but he knew he could never be that way. He went home every day sick to his stomach, hating whatever put illness on this planet.

She noticed his expression and pulled her hands out from under his. She placed hers on top instead. "I will miss you as well, Doc. You are my friend too. Will you promise to take care of them for me? Who else will talk to them and notice them? Oh, I've been so worried lately. I-"

"Of course I will. I pinky swear." He smiled sadly and held out his finger. She leaned back into her pillow and sighed with relief. They joined pinkies, and she folded her arms on top of her chest, closing her eyes.

Nowaki smiled as he pulled the off-white blankets over her tiny body, tucking her in.

"Now I can finally rest well. Thank you, Doc. I know you'll take good care of them." She said, eyes still closed.

He smiled as he walked out of her room, trying to make as little noise as possible. Shutting the door quietly, he took a deep breath and started towards the next room, glancing at the clipboard sadly. He wished more than anything that he could save them all. It would be another long, painful day. He hoped he could keep his mood up enough for the flower shop, his shift starting just an hour after his work here ended.

He ran his hand over the pressed white coat to compose himself, and held up his invisible shield as he stepped into his next patient's room, hoping that it could take all the emotional punches he would get. It was already chipping from Akari.

Usagi looked up from his mature novel to stare at the calendar. He tossed the book onto the custom coffee table and got up, putting his hands on the curve of his back and bending backwards to stretch.

"Maybe this sofa wasn't such a good idea after all. Damn expensive thing. The least it could do is fulfill its purpose correctly." He loosened his tie and combed his silver hair back with his fingers, exhaling dramatically.

"Suzuki, Misaki has been gone forever. I don't want to read any more explicit novels. I want him back already." He complained as he analyzed the calendar more closely. He groaned, not wanting to remember how long Misaki had been gone. As if on cue, the phone rang. He reached it in two long steps, not bothering to mask his excitement.

"Misaki?" He asked eagerly.

"Hey, you're not dead!" Misaki answered jokingly.

"Yeah, yeah. I've been feeding myself. When are you coming back? It's been too long. The novels are getting worse and worse the more you stay away from me." He teased.

"Oh god. Nah, I'll be here a little while longer. The baby is so cute. I still can't believe I'm an uncle." His voice sounded digital and distant.

Usagi's heart ached, but he kept it under control. "Well, don't stay too much longer, I ran out of Misaki a while ago. You wouldn't want anything too bad to get published, would you? Fantasies have been raging."

He knew the kid was blushing like crazy on the other side of the line, even if he couldn't see him. He smirked in amusement while Misaki grumbled.

"Jesus, do you have to talk about that _now_? I swear you and your- Crap, the baby got up. I'll call you later." Usagi heard the faint cry of an infant before the phone clicked and went silent.

"Love you too." He said dismally as he went straight back to that uncomfortable couch. He left the book on the table, lying back to study the ceiling, wondering how he would cope with another day.

"Suzuki." He said, putting his arms behind his head. "How about we go find you another friend."


End file.
